臺灣華語中「不」和「沒」的使用研究：語言發展觀點

Exploring the Use of Bu and Mei in Taiwan Mandarin: A Developmental Perspective

否定是邏輯中的一個基本概念，因此否定句表達在各語言中皆很常見。否定詞可限定動詞和非動詞元素（如副詞）。本研究透過兩項任務探討兒童對「不」和「沒」在否定句中的接受度。第一項任務評估兒童對「不」和「沒」在孤立否定句中的接受度；第二項任務則提供上下文，以觀察受試者之接受度是否提高。年齡差異在四個組中進行了分析：幼稚園、二年級、四年級和六年級，並以十八名成人為對照組。研究結果顯示，在否定句中習得「不」和「沒」的年齡差異。幼稚園和二年級學童未表現出成年人對不同動詞類型使用「不」和「沒」的偏好。從四年級開始，學童開始顯示出成人般的偏好，傾向將「不」與非完成動詞和「沒」與完成動詞搭配。到六年級，學童在單一否定句和雙重否定句中表現出更強的成人偏好，反映出邏輯推理能力的發展。最後，研究亦發現，提供上下文增加了受試者對否定句的接受度。這些研究結果建議，了解第一語言中否定的發展軌跡可為第二語言中否定的教學策略提供更有效的指導。

Negative sentence expressions are common across languages as negation is a fundamental concept in logic. A negator can scope over verbs and non-verbal elements like adverbials. This study investigated children’s acceptability of bu and mei in negative sentences using two tasks. The first task assessed children's acceptability rates of bu and mei in isolated negative sentences. The second task provided context to see if it increased acceptability rates. Age differences were analyzed across four groups: kindergartners, Grade 2, Grade 4, and Grade 6, with eighteen adults as a control group. The results showed age differences in acquiring bu and mei in negative sentences. Kindergarteners and second graders did not exhibit an adult-like preference for bu and mei with different verb types. By Grade 4, children began to show adult-like preferences, favoring bu with atelic verbs and mei with telic verbs. By Grade 6, children displayed a stronger adult-like preference for bu and mei in single and double negative sentences, reflecting the development of logical reasoning skills. Finally, it was also found that providing context increased the acceptability rates of negative sentences among participants. These findings suggest that understanding the developmental trajectory of negation in a first language can lead to more effective teaching strategies for negation in a second language.